Tell You Everything
by wildthing0088
Summary: Eric looked out from behind styrofoam Lady Liberty, just below the staircase to see Morningside’s head. The little black remote was in her hand, pointed right at... “GRACIE!” He yelled. What if Gracie hadn't gotten rid of the crown? ANOTHER UPDATE! YAYY!
1. Chapter 1

"Cheryl!" Gracie yelled, avoiding the belting of the roses and the nips of pain from the thorns, "Cheryl! Give me the crown!"

How could she be so stupid! Morningside's bomb was gonna blow her to shit!

"No! No! Get your own!!" Cheryl screamed back. She hit Gracie back with the flowers, without a single red petal remaining, then walked forward as Stan continued to announce.

No. No goddamn way…

Gracie ran forward and yanked the crown from Cheryl's hair.

Finally…

She looked for the little device, somewhere on the crown… Mary Jo grabbed her wrists.

"Gracie, goddammit, it's Cheryl's!"

"No, you don't understand!"

"Give the damn thing back!"

They were both yelling at the same time, yanking back and forth. That thing could go off at anytime… Gracie's fist knocked Miss Texas backwards into the crowd, arms flailing.

She frantically searched again for Morningside's little contraption. The sounds all around her, audience members and fellow contestants shrieking in disbelief, a wailing Cheryl, a Texas drawl vowing revenge and the forcing of someone to pay for a nose job, Stan still rambling on, all melted into a mix of yells and cries.

Aha! The little black box was on the inside of the crown, tucked behind some diamonds. Where was the off switch??

Eric looked out from behind Styrofoam Lady Liberty, hodling Frank down. The remote had fallen down at least twelve feet, hopefully it had broken or was buried under confetti. He saw Gracie take out the redhead and clutch the shiny crown. Blonde movement caught his eye, and he looked just below the staircase to see Morningside's head, holing a little black remo-

"GRACIE!!!" He yelled.

She looked back at him just as the tiara beeped.


	2. Chapter 2

SpiritoftheBlackRose: Thanks! This one's early, just for you.

The explosion silenced the whole convention center, probably everyone watching on TV. Everyone stopped screaming and yelling for a few seconds, in total disbelief at what had happened. A single thought traveled all around the stage, the audience, up to the TV booth.

_What the heck just happened? _

Morningside had been knocked to the ground, and Frank just stopped, staring at the stage in total disbelief. Eric threw the bastard aside and leapt to the stage, sprinting and dodging through the ladies and the security guards. He shoved a finally silent Stan aside. The closer he got, the more blood and incredulity he saw. Vic got to her first, gently cooing and calming the trembling, bleeding, sprawled Miss New Jersey. Her dress had torn, and the deep scarlet staining the pale lavender fabric.

"Gracie…" Vic held her hand, and Eric fought his urges to lift her head. If her neck was broken… Her face was pale, blood dribbling from numerous cuts and etches in her skin. Both arms were soaked in blood. Her chest was shredded and sliced open, a pool of blood in each rip in the skin. Nothing in the book, even the last time he'd looked at it, described this. He took off his jacket, and motioned Vic to do the same. Grant and Jensen both ran up, followed by McDonald.

"Ah, shit, Hart…shit, shit, shit!" The normally impassive assistant director stared down at the open body while Eric covered the wounds, as best he could, with strips from his and Vick's jackets.

"Get Morningside…both of 'em!" Eric yelled, not caring who listened. The last thing they'd need was for the perpetrators to get away. The three men ran to the other side of the stage, leaving him and Vick to tend to Gracie's wounds. The other girls, the ones who Gracie'd sacrificed herself for all huddled around, staring in disbelief. They were murmuring to each other, whispers of "Whoa, what happened?", "It was a bomb!" and "Gracie!" surrounding them. Two paramedics showed up with a stretcher. They carefully lifted her and buckled her in. Eric followed them out to the ambulance, holding Gracie's hand. Vic trailed them, silent.

"Are either of you immediate family?" The short female asked as the stretcher was lifted into the back of the EMS vehicle.

"Tell me as soon as you find out…I'll tell the others." Vic told Eric, his voice quiet. Eric turned back to him, standing at he curb.

"Vic…"

"Go on, get up in there."

"Vic-"

"Get in there- she'd rather you than me."

Eric sighed and climbed in. There was barely enough room, but the paramedics let him sit over her and hold her hand. IV's had already been inserted into her arms. Gauze pads and Ace bandages were wrapped around her abdomen, arms, and covered her face. She had beat him, quite painfully, only a few hours before; now she was the one on the stretcher on her way to the ER. Something so strong and powerful, now wrapped in bandages and on the brink of-

He couldn't think it.

'C'mon Gracie, you can do this…I'm right here…" He didn't know what else to say. The sirens went off, and they sped to San Antonio Memorial, while the Morningside's were off to the S.A.P.D.


	3. Chapter 3

_MarianaTeresia, ELM-Tree10, & pitaqueen: Thank y'all for the support._

_SpiritoftheBlackRose: Here's a cold compress. Put it on your forehead and elevate your feet. Fainting is not fun._

_Nevermindthebuttocks: Thank you! I'm not sure if I'll put more of #2 in here, I've only been able to watch it once before turning SportsCenter back on. _

_Thanks y'all for being so patient. I've been accepted at college so I can get back to writing. I've got another new chapter ready to go by 1/30. _

Machines surrounded the bed. It had taken them three hours to stabilize Gracie, and she wasn't entirely out of the woods yet. Most of her ribs were broken, and both her wrists were fractured and she had a moderate concussion. But bone fragments had punctured her right lung, liver, and stomach. She'd been unconscious for the trip, and woke up in the ER scaring the shit out of everyone including herself. The only way to calm her down was to put her in a medically induced coma. They'd operate in 36 hours.

Vic was keeping the nighttime vigil at Gracie's bedside. Eric and the rest of the FBI camp were back at the hotel; same with the newly crowned Miss United States and the remaining contestants. MacDonald refused to let anyone leave until everything was sorted out. Even Stan was back at the hotel, and Vic was thankful he was at Gracie's bedside. There were a handful of reporters lurking the hospital, yet MacDonald was adamant on giving them wrong room numbers.

It was funny, Vic thought to himself as he stared down at the still body in bed; he thought he'd seen everything. Girls' tearing each others dresses onstage; girls throwing up the second before heading out in the bikini; sprinkling cayenne pepper and paprika on others' lipstick. Heck, one gargled Clorox to whiten her teeth. Bu he'd never seen anyone get torn apart. Her cry of fury as she threw Eric to the ground reminded him once again how no one messed with her, same with the glare she gave him as she held a cocked gun to his head. Morningside and Frank would be added to a long list as soon as she got out of here. His eyes glanced down at the red on his clothes; he hadn't had a chance to change. Gracie's beautiful dress had to be peeled from her torn body. He was glad he hadn't had the chance to see that.

He glanced up as the door opened and Eric walked in. There was an immistakable deadness in his eye, the exact oppose of the one he glared as he ran back to the convention center to do his job only hour before. Now he sat over Gracie, her bandaged hand in his, staring at her.

"I didn't think they were going to let you in." Vic said, trying to break the monotonous beeping of the monitors and machines.

"I can get in almost anywhere with the badge." His eyes never left Gracie's heavily bandaged face.

"She's going to be all right, won't she, Matthews?" Eric sighed.

"Yeah, she's a fighter, just like Mom."

"Her mother was an agent?" Vic was suddenly horrified with the idea of another woman just like Gracie: quick to fight, never to brush.

"Yeah, Harte was amazing. Broke every barrier for women in the FBI. Won every award and honor they thought of. Courage, Gun Accuracy, Neatest Office, you name it. Big shoes for her little girl to fill. She was killed in action about nine years ago, when Gracie was in college. Gracie joined the day after she graduated." He hesitated. "She's as smart as hell and as tough as nails. A bit quick to react, but it's all instinct."

Vic sat back in the plastic chair. Eric continued to massage Gracie's bandaged hand. Vic smiled to himself as Eric leant forward and gently kissed the little patch of exposed skin on Gracie's face. "Gracie Lou…" he whispered.

Vic stood up and left. He knew she was safe now.

Besides, a quick change of clothes would do him good.


	4. Chapter 4

_ELM-Tree10: The pageant took place at the San Antonio convention center, sorry if I confused you. Thanks for the review!_

_LoverOfWords: Oh crap, thanks for noticing the misspelling. I think I fixed everything. Thanks!_

_I'm still working on the next few chapters, I've got a bunch of midterms due and a college preview day, so two in a row is a gift. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up before the end of the month._

Eric shook himself awake. The ache in his back had been getting progressively worse for the past two nights. The lack of sunlight told him it was ungodly early, a quick glance at the clock told him it was 4:16 in the morning. He glanced over at Gracie's still face. Sure he knew there was medicine keeping her asleep, he still had to check to make sure she was okay. And it wasn't like he dreamt she'd blink a few times and then wake up. Two goddamn days sitting in the room as the doctor walked in and out, leaving the two of them alone. They'd been on assignments before; more often than not she'd be stuck at the desk while he was solo. He'd never felt alone, least not until now. Just him and her. She'd never been this quiet.

He arched his back trying to ease the pain. He gave her one quick glance to make sure he was okay, and walked into the bathroom. Splashing the cold water on his face felt good, almost like doing laps. He'd never really had the urge to hit the pool, maybe he'd go while she was in surgery… Nah, she'd kill him. He grabbed some paper towels and wiped his face. They were as smooth as concrete and as flexible as cardboard. He tossed them toward the trash, and after a near-miss, he hastily tossed them back in. He walked back to Gracie's bed. Something clicked in him, today was special…Gracie was coming out of the coma. She had her surgery today. He sat back in the chair. 4:22am. It would be hours before she went into the OR. MacDonald had given him strict orders to stay at the hospital. His first op and he lands his girl in the hospital and the Assistant Director has to take over. At least Macdonald can deal with all the damn reporters. And Stan.

His eyes travelled over to the table by the chair, where a book and a Grisham hardcover sat. Jensen had brought him the book from the hotel. He leaned over and grabbed it. Grisham was one of his favorites, encouraging him to join law enforcement but not as an attorney. _A Time to Kill _was one of his favorites; a burning moral question along with plenty of beer and violence. The intelligent man's book. Sure he'd read it seven or eight times, but hey, it was a classic. He settled in the chair and began to read.

The NAACP had just introduced its capital murder lawyers when Dr. Jacobs entered and Jamie, the nurse, following with a gurney. Eric glanced up, and was nearly blinded by the abundance of sunlight. Doc Jacobs was formidable and imposing, and ex-wrestler who became interested in medicine after a career-ending broken femur in his freshman year at TCU. He could explain anything in simple terms and like to give bear hugs. Jamie was a short skinny pole with a dazzling smile and a cheerleader's peppiness. Se was one of the few Nordic skiers in Texas, with enough muscle to almost take down Doc Jacobs. Eric glanced back down at the page number and closed the book.

"Doc Jacobs." He said

"Mornin' Eric." Jacobs was a true Texan. "S'bout time we bring Gracie in fer prep. Ain' no point havin' her wait all day. The sooner we wake 'er up, the better off we'll all be." Eric nodded.

"How long before she's out, Doc?"

"Cain' be more than a couple hours. Y'all might wanna be catchin' a nap. "He motioned to the sofa in the corner of the room.,"Better now than when she's 'wake." He glanced back to see Jamie finish loading Gracie onto the gurney.

"Jamie, y'all be careful now."

"Yessir Doc Jacobs."

"Dammit Jamie! Y'all know I hate it when ya call me 'sir'!"

"Yessir." She turned and started to push Gracie from the room. Jacobs echanged a look with Eric and followed, yelling out a final "WATCH OUT FER THE COKE MACHINE!"

Eric sat back in the sofa's soft cushions. The TV remote was near, Grisham not farther. But the couch was already easing the pain from his back, and he felt his eyes close.


	5. Chapter 5

_LogicalGoth: Thank you for loving this story, I have more to update, don't worry._

_SpiritoftheBlackRose: Please sit down before you faint...again... Don't worry about being late to review, seeing as I'm being late to update... hehe_

_I have survived XC skiing...now onto softball. I'm sorry for the delay but between my &# computer freezing up everytime I open up Word or have to see a doctor for my #& turf toe, it's been a while for me. There's plenty more to come, don't worry!_

"Mis'er Williams… Mis'er Williams…"

Eric shot up, almost banging heads with Jamie.

"Oh, damn. Sorry Jamie."

"S' alri'. Doc Jacobs sen' me in ta tell y'all tha Gracie pulled through surgery alri'. We got 'er in a recovery room an' Doc'll have me bring 'er in in a lil' whil'. Gotta make sure ever'thin's alri'. He'd be in here, but he's got an ER call- some 'ockey goalie needs 'er lower lip sewed back on. Lunch's in too." She motioned over to the table, where a sandwich and a water bottle sat.

"Thanks, Jamie." She smiled at him and left. Eric glanced over at the clock- it was a little after two. He stood, stretching his back. The nap felt good, and Gracie was going to be okay. He stared at the sandwich. Even for hospital food it looked sketchy. He took half of it and sniffed the unknown meat. He took a cautious bite.

Dry turkey. He took a few more bites and sat down. Doc Jacobs walked in, still buttoning a fresh lab coat.

"She's alright, Doc?"

"The goalie? Yeah, she'll be alri'- just gotta- ah shit." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Gracie? She's pulled through alri', strong fighter, I'm actually really surprised. Patien's who need lung work usually end up on a ventilator, but she's breathin' fine. Had ta take half her left lung, a quarter a her stomach, and a nice chunk of 'er liver 'bout yay big," He motioned with his thumb and index finger, "that'd been poked clean through. Busted ribs c'n get real nasty. She's gonna have ta take it easy. Readin' 'er record, I say she'll be on li' duty fer six months. Her burns gotta be checked on. We'll bring 'er back 'ere 'round four. " His eyes travelled over to the novel on the table. "Grisham's alri'. I'm more of a Clancy or a Griffiths fan m'self."

His pager went off. "I gotta git ta the ER 'gain. Y'all take it easy." He turned and rushed from the room.

Eric sighed and sat back in the couch with the rest of his sandwich and his book, and opened up to where he left off.

A knock at the door told him to close the book. The door opened, and Jamie came in, followed by Gracie on a gurney. Doc Jacobs walked in as Jamie finished moving Gracie to the bed.

"Jamie… Y'all's either super human or hyperactive at the speed ya work." Jacobs told her. She gave him a sheepish smile."

"She'a alri' Mis'er Williams." Jamie announced as Eric walked over to the bed. "Y'all let us know if anythin' happens."

"I will, thanks." Doctor and nurse walked out, leaving Eric alone with Gracie yet again. Her face had lost a few layers of bandages, but her arms were still wrapped tight. He bent down to her face and kissed her cheek.

He pulled the chair closer, snatched the Grisham novel, and settled himself by her side. He took her warm hand in his, and re-opened the book. He felt strangely at home, just him and Gracie, even though she was out cold and he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. He gave her hand a tight squeeze and started reading again.

He felt pressure on his hand, and his head snapped to Gracie.

"Gracie?"

More pressure on his hand.

One of the machines hooked to her started beeping faster. He put the book down and bent over her.

Her head twitched.

The heart rate monitor started beeping faster and faster. Sweat was developing on her face and upper arms. Her eyes shot open as the machine started screeching.


	6. Chapter 6

_SpiritoftheBlackRose: heheh... Thanks as always!_

_star jelly: I'm sorry if it's sad... I try to toss some comedy into each chapter. Thanks for the review!_

_BlackAngel of Paris: Thanks you for the awesome review. The suspense isn't as bad this time around, I promise. _

_Thanks to all you guys for the reviews, I'm shooting for 10 days for the next chapter to be up. GO DALE JR!!! -- Wildthing_

"Gracie! GRACIE!" Eric bent down closer to her face, yelling. He took both her hands and looked right into her eyes. "Gracie, relax! You're okay! You're okay! You're in the hospital!" Her hand broke loose and swung for his head. He ducked and bent towards her again.

"It's me Gracie! It's me!"

The hyperventilation continued, but the machine's screaming was slowing down. She was relaxing. "Cheryl's okay, Vick's okay, and both Morningsides are in jail. Macdonald's got you here until he thinks you're alright. I'm here until you're back on duty…"

She was still panting, but the monitor had finally quit its ear-piercing shrieks. He ran his fingers down her gauze-covered face. Her ACE wrapped hand found his cheek; her smile barely visible under the bandages. He gave her other hand a tight squeeze.

The door burst open and Jamie slid into the room, remisicent of _Sienfeld_'s Kramer. She stopped at Gracie's bed, panting.

"Hear' monitor… 260… Alri'?" She was bent over and heaving, her eyes focused on Gracie.

"Yeah, she's alright." Eric said, incredulous to Jamie's asthmatic entrance. "She just woke up." Jamie nodded, heaving.

"Y'all don' ski up…six goddamn flights a' stairs." She put a hand to her pager. "Nurse's station called me…" She walked closer to Gracie. "Name's Jamie. I'm yer nurse… Y'all don' ever hesitate ta call me. Jus' hit the lil' blue button." She gave Gracie a pat on the shoulder, and then the unmistakable beep of a pager drew her attention. She glanced down.

"Ah, shit… six floors down." She smiled at the both. "Y'all take care." She turned and jogged out.

"She's like that. Wait until you meet Doc Jacobs." Eric explained. Gracie laughed, her stomach twitching up and down.

"Harte, you were amazing…" Eric began, "I'm so, so sorry… I had no idea what you were trying to tell me when you were onstage. I thought you were calling Macdonald a devil…" he hesitated, the tears developing in his eyes. "I was trying to get up behind the statue, and I forgot they were already on high alert 'cuz you were there anyway, and Gracie, I cocked my gun to climb the stairs, and there was a security guard there, he cocked his at my head. I had to beat him off…" He felt tears in his eyes. "I had to fight him off, we made a whole lot of noise, and the guard didn't see Frank. If I hadn't cocked that gun…" His voice trailed off. Her fingers wiped the water from his eyes and she shook her head, telling him it wasn't his fault. He smiled down at her, bending closer and closer to her face. She wrapped her arms around him, and they kissed.


	7. Chapter 7

_LogicalGoth: Thanks!_

_SpiritoftheBlackRose: Yeah! Hooray! But don't get too happy...hehehe..._

_Softball has officially started, but I've got one more chapter before some delays. (but if you hit the little review button, I'll write a bit faster...heheh..)_

"Gracie Lou!" Cheryl squealed as threw her arms around her best friend. "I'm so glad you're gonna be okay!" Eric grinned from the couch as Gracie was crushed by Miss United States.

"Glad to see you're fine too, Cheryl." Gracie managed to say through Cheryl's bear hug. It had been a week since the pageant finale, and Gracie was well on her way to recovery. Her face had lost most of the bandages, only one piece of tape by her left ear and the other covering a nasty cut underneath her right eye. The rest of her face had the rough look of marble; tiny cuts and scrapes were left in the skin from the tiara's diamonds. Her forearms were still wrapped tight, between the fractured wrists and second-degree burns she had to spend another few days in San Antonio. Cheryl was finally allowed to visit. She released her friend and pulled a thermos from her purse.

"I brought you some hot cocoa."

"Oh thanks… How's everyone else?" Despite Eric's constant reassurance, Gracie was still worried about her friends at the pageant.

"Well the FBI- or would that be you guys?" Cheryl asked pointing to Gracie and Eric, "It's still really weird, you being an FBI agent and being assigned to the pageant. If I could've gotten in that way I wouldn't ve had to-"

"Everyone's okay?" Gracie interrupted her.

"Oh, yeah. We can FINALLY go home today, and EVERYONE's so excited about that. Remember Miss New York? Karen? Her girlfriend Tina came and picked her up this morning. My parents think she's –"

"How's Mary Jo?"

"You broke her nose, but the doctor said she'd be alright. Once we got her some tacos, she calmed down. "

"Do you think she's still mad at me? I konked her pretty hard."

"Gracie…" Cheryl hesitated, and her voice started to crack. "We saw… we saw you get blown open. Everyone thought you were trying to steal the crown, and then..." she trailed off, staring down at the hospital blanket. "After the bomb went off everything just sort of stopped. We all stopped. Then your coach and him,: She motioned over to Eric, and swallowed. Tears ran down her face. "They ran over to you. I was crying, because I had just lost my crown, and then you were on the ground, shaking really bad, and they were trying to help you, and the the FBI showed up. No one knew what was going on, we didn't even know if you were…" She broke into sobs. "Gracie, I thought you were dead!" Gracie wrapped her arms around Cheryl, letting her cry. "Ms. Morningside and Frank…arrested… We all went back…hotel…couldn't leave… My parents called me…I couldn't talk… They finally explained that you were an FBI agent…I thought I was dreaming from all the pizza and beer and tubie thingies… They got me a new crown…"

Gracie held Cheryl tighter. God, crying ws awful.

"Cheryl, Cheryl… I'm alright. I'm gonna be alright. It's my job. It's my job to do what I did. It was your job to win the pageant. You're Miss United States. I'm-"

"A Hero." It was Cheryl's turn to interrupt. She squeezed Gracie tighter. "Thank you for being such an awesome friend. Here, I- we-have a present for you." She dug into her purse once again. "After the pageant there's always a farewell breakfast, but this year it was postponed, and we had to have it without you. It was really quiet. Everyone prayed before they ate anything, just like you did at orientation." She pulled out a big manila envelope. "Here."

It took Gracie a few tries to undo the string; she still couldn't use her fingers very well. She finally opened the flap, and pulled out an oversized "Get Well!" card. Inside was filled with 49 signatures and phone numbers, along with a piece of folded satin. She unfolded the satin, "_Miss Congeniality_" written in pretty cursive.

"The vote was unanimous."

"Oh, Cheryl!" Gracie threw her arms around Cheryl. Cheryl giggled. The door opened, and Assistant director McDonald walked in.

"Oh, excuse me, m'am, but this is Bureau business. I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

"Oh," Cheryl was startled by Gracie and Eric's boss. She immediately stood up. "That's alright." She gave Gracie one final hug before snatching her purse and scurrying from the room. Gracie put her sash back in the envelope, but left the card out.

"How you feeling Hart?" He asked, looking down at her.

"I'm feeling better, sir." McDonald nodded, and turned to Eric.

"Matthews?" Eric stood up, organized his papers and handed them to McDonald.

"All set with the final reports, sir." McDonald scanned the report while Eric settled himself on the edge of Gracie's bed.

"Whoa…" Gracie whispered. She bent her head forward, massaging her temples.

"Gracie, you alright?" Eric asked, putting a hand around her.

"Yeah, I think…" She looked up at McDonald, then over at Eric. She blinked a few times.

"Gracie?"

"Hart?"

"Or not…" Gracie's eyes rolled back as she fell into her pillows. Eric immediately hit the blue button beside the bed.


	8. Chapter 8

_SpiritoftheBlackRose: teeheehee... I love it when you complain to me because of cliffhangers...;D_

_kaytieorndorff__: Thanks for the review... see above for my policy on cliffhangers._

_pirate88: **YES!!** I've been waiting for someone to notice that. Love that book/movie! Thanks for the review!_

_'Take me out to the ballllll gaaame...lock me in that gray feeeence...get me some ice packs and gaaaatoraaade...Coach needs the chain link for self-defense! Cuz it's aim, maim, and blame our coach... after hours of spriiiiiiiIIIIIiiints! Cuz she can't yell if she's out cold... GOOO DUTCHMENNN!!' Sorry about the delay..should be another week for ch 9. :D --Wildthing_

Eric stared down at Gracie's unconscious form. How long had it been since he hit the button? Ten seconds? Thirty seconds? All he knew was that Jamie wasn't bursting through the door. Yet. McDonald stared at the machines.

"She's got a pulse, Matthews, she's just fainted."

"She's supposed to be alright. Where the hell is-"

The door opened and a lanky, gap-toothed nurse jogged in.

"Where's Jamie?

"Wha's tha' matter?"

Both questions were asked in unison, by Eric and the nurse.

"She's fainted." McDonald said, motioning to Gracie. The nurse nodded and walked closer to Gracie. She lifted Gracie's hand and stared at the monitor's displays, looking for any uncharacteristic blips on the screen.

"Her bloo' pressure's high," the nurse began in an accent rougher than gravel, and put a hand to Gracie's forehead, "An' she's runnin' a fever. Understand she's been under some stress, bu' there should'n' be trauma this long af'er. What was y'all's doin' 'fore she wen' out?"

"We were talking, and she sat up and said 'whoa'. We walked if she was okay, then she just passed out." Eric said, still staring at Gracie. The nurse picked up Gracie's chart and flipped through the pages.

"Pressure's been high since…Doc switched painkillers." She shook her head in realization. "I'll get Doc ta' prescribe her a new one. They c'n screw up yer blood pressure, some worse 'n others."

She returned Gracie's chart, and held out her hand. "Name's Allyssa." Eric took her hand, and her grip almost snapped his fingers. "Jamie's got the ni' shift, she's got some ski race today. I work the other half a' the floor." She smiled, exposing more missing teeth. "I play 'ockey. Defense. Of all the nurses in San Antonio Memorial, they stick the two nurses who play obscure sports together. I'm gonna go get Doc an' get 'im to change the prescription. If she ain' back in ten minu'es, holler." She ran out, leaving Eric feeling very alone. He took Gracie's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Matthews?" He'd completely forgotten that McDonald was in the room.

"Yes sir?"

"I don't care what you guys do outside the office, but keep it there. No funny shit during work. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"But I think you two make a nice team on ops. Keep it that way."

"Thank you, sir." Eric grinned. McDonald put a hand on Eric's shoulder.

"I gotta get back to the city. You're here on assigned protection until she's back on duty. Keep me posted."

"I will sir." McDonald gave him a smile, and left the room.

Eric squeezed Gracie's hand, then kissed her warm forehead. He nestled himself right next to her on the bed, her head by his shoulder. He slid his arm behind her neck, and felt it twitch. Her head turned away from him, then she gave a slight groan.

"Gracie?" He asked. She turned towards him, blinking.

"Eric?" She whispered, "What happened?"

"You fainted. Allyssa said it was the painkiller."

"Allyssa?"

"Jamie's got a ski race." She nodded, then glanced around the room.

"Where's McDonald?"

"He just needed my report." She nestled her head into his chest.

"What did he say about…us?"

"What about us?"

"You know…"

"I know?"

"Eric…" She rolled her eyes and groaned at him.

"Gracie…" He did the same, grinning. "Fine," he sighed. "Mcdonald said that he didn't care what we did, as long as we kept it out of the office."

"Oh."

"But he thinks we make a nice team." She grinned at him. He sighed, and put his other hand to her warm cheek. "So, is there an…us?"

"McDonald thinks so. Besides, you haven't spent the last week here for the money…right?"

"Well, once Vic was done with you, you weren't half bad." she gave him a sly smile.

"You think I'm gorgeous, you want to hug me... You want to love me... You want to kiss me…" He did. Their lips met, and for a while, neither of them were in the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

_SpiritoftheBlackRose: this ending's not too bad either... no drama, just pillow talk._

_Second Daughter of Eve: Thank you!_

_alaska1588: Yeah, actually. I've got the rest mostly-ish drafted out, and I hope to have it done rather soon. _

_Hey y'all! Contrary to popular belief- I am infact alive and well, just had a rough breakup of my man of almost 4 years and some other crap over the summer, so everything just got delayed. **THIS STORY WILL BE COMPLETED! ****Thanks to everyone for hanging in there, I promise that there will not be another wait as long as this one.** Enjoy! Wildthing. _

Eric rolled over in bed. He liked the feel of his new queen size mattress, and felt as if the final ache had been worked from his back. He glanced over to see his live-in protectee/girlfriend still dozing. Two months since she'd reluctantly agreed to go on the mission, her exasperated "Do I have to wear the dress?" and then the whirlwind of the pageant and the explosion that brought them together. Two months ago he slept in his college full size mattress, and sharing it was the last thing on his mind.

He sighed, and felt Gracie's leg twitch. He looked and saw her slowly open her eyes.

"Eric? You okay?" The scars from the tiara made her face looked well freckeld, and unfortunately, were not going to fade much more.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"About what?" She sat up on one elbow. Eric smiled.

"You." She snorted and gave him a kiss.

"What about? The fact that we've been together for two months without trying to kill each other or maybe that I've been able to get past guns and knives for years, but give me a tiara and it almost kills me?"

"Naw, just how great you looked in that dress." She whacked the back of his head and turned back over. He wrapped his arms around her, more comfortable than he'd been, well, ever. He loved his job, sure, but just being able to wrap his arms around her made him almost regret having to leave.

"I love you." She murmured.

He sat up enough to kiss her earlobe, then settled his head back on the pillow.

"Love you too, Gracie Lou." She rolled over to face him.

"You know I hate it when you do that stupid rhyming thing, right?" He pecked her lips, making her smile.

"Yep." She rolled her eyes, and kissed his cheek.

He pulled her on top of him, where could feel her inhale and exhale. She wrapped her bandaged arms around him and pressed her lips to his forehead. His lips went for her neck. They stayed that way for a while, until she finally stopped to settle her head into his neck. He gave her another squeeze.

"Eric?" Her voice was welcome in the darkness.

"Yeah?" He sighed.

"Did you love me before I got al Vic-ed up and pretty?" He kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, I did. It just took a tiara and a hairbrush to prove it." She gave him a quizzical stare. He kissed her again. "Why? You thinking of going back and looking all ugly again?"

"Not really. I actually kinda _liked_ looking pretty."

"I really liked it." Another whack on the head. He winced, and she wrapped her arms back around him, nestling her head in his chest.

"When are you going back to regular duty?" Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"Next week."

"I'm gonna hate it, y'know."

"What? You'll get to look for bombs from behind a desk while I'm out getting shot at."

"But you at least get to shoot back."

"Yeah," He kissed her head. "But personally, I'd rather mail a bomb." She grinned at him, and pressed her lips against his, then rolled off of him. "Hey-" He grabbed her and gave her a tight squeeze.

"Good_night_, Eric."

"Love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

_Andy-Ander: Thank you for the support!_

_star jelly: Violence is great in moderate doses, isn't it? :F_

_Another eon's wait for an update. I apologize yet again. I'll owe y'all a third "Miss Congeniality" movie and Sandra Bullock'll be collecting Social Security, but goshdarnit, this thing'll be completed. I love getting the "Favorite Story Add"/"Story Alert Add" e-mails... almost as much as I love getting the review alerts. Kidding, but I love hearing what y'all think. Also, as much as I love making you guys wait and wait and wait for updates, (for the record, I **don't**, but this little thing called **LIFE** gets in the way) there's probably another 4 chapters, all of which are drafted and set for edits/grammaring. Note that I've changed my username. It's only one more '8' but now it's the same wildthing0088 that whips out multi-chap fics on LJ like there's no tomorrow. And now that I've kept y'all waiting with this ridiculously long author's note, Enjoy! ~Wildthing_

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"So anyway, I finally called that hotline, y'know, the one that sounds like the "Rudy" soundtrack in the commercials, the dun-dunn da dunn…"

Gracie looked up from her breakfast to make sure that Jensen was infact singing and that a smoke alarm wasn't going off on a different floor before returning to her breakfast. Four months out of the hospital, and she was still limited to semi-solid foods after her stomach surgery. It wasn't like she wasn't happy to be alive. She was just getting sick of scrambled eggs or runny oatmeal every morning.

A dribble of egg dropped on top the blueprint she was working on, and she cussed to herself and wiped it away with her fingers. Her desk was semi-neat, yet cluttered (she had a _system_) with mounds of paper, her computer and a few framed photographs of her and Eric. Despite her hatred of deskwork, the daily sight of her boyfriend made the day somewhat bearable.

"So I told her I knew kung-fu," Jensen was sill re-hashing his late night phone call. "You think I could get away with that, Harte?"

"Only if by 'kung fu' you mean the Chinese place in Brooklyn." She told him, then took another bite of eggs. Jensen's ears reddened.

"Yeah, well, you could show me a few moves. Unless you're too busy with Eric… maybe I could get a tape of you two." His voice trailed off. "Whaddya say?" Gracie rolled her eyes.

"How about you get back to work, Jensen?" Eric made his way around the corner, and Gracie gave the already startled Jensen a glare.

"Yeah, sure, I've got- photocopier." He made his way towards his office. Gracie sat back on her chair and sighed.

"How was your briefing?" Eric's gaze fell to the floor.

"I got a new op."

"Why the long face? It's not a beauty pageant or anything, right? I mean, if you want another chance to see Macdonald in his underwear…" Her giggle broke into a snort that made Eric smile.

"I wish. It's a 2-man undercover in the Catskills. Drug trade covered by hunters." He was still withdrawn; unsure of taking the assignment. She knew he was worried about leaving her.

"That's 4 hours away Eric. It's not Texas. I'll be fine."

"Macdonald wants me on the road in two. I just-" She stood to meet his eyes, and his arms went around her waist, one of the few times either of them had broken their unspoken anti- FBI-PDA agreement. "I can't leave you. Not yet."

"I'll be fine. The doctor said I had eighty-five percent back in my hands and it's not that hard to make scrambled eggs."

"I know. And I know you're gonna be fine. It's just, this is the first time I've ever worried about this stuff. You'll be fine without me. I just don't know how _I'm_ gonna do out there without _you_."

"Break that drug ring faster." He smiled.

"I figure that's my best option. I've got some maps for you to look over before I go." He was slowly pulling her towards a janitor's closet.

"Okay, I'll get on that…"

"I'll just need some good luck from you, too." He slowly opened the closet door with a smile. She caught on in an instant, and she pulled him inside, planting her lips to his before the door clicked shut.


End file.
